Experts on Indigenous language revitalization

Edward John, grand chief of the Tl'azt'en Nation of BC, rang a warning bell for the UN last week about the alarming rates of Indigenous language loss in Canada and the urgent need to revive and revitalize Indigenous languages even as the world focuses on safeguarding cultural heritage sites. The following four faculty members (among many others at UVic who, over the years, have studied and championed efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages) are available to media:

Ewa Czaykowska-Higgins (pronounced “EV-ah chai-KOV-ska”) (Linguistics) is a linguist whose work has focused primarily on the Salish languages spoken by Indigenous communities in coastal BC and Washington State and threatened by language loss. As principal investigator of the Coast Salish Language Revitalization CURA Project, she worked closely with Indigenous communities of Vancouver Island, supporting efforts to reclaim Coast and Straits Salish languages. She has undertaken research on Salish sound systems and words, language maintenance and reclamation, methodology in community-based research, and dictionary-making, and, since 2003, has contributed to the development and delivery of UVic's certificate, undergraduate and graduate programs in Indigenous language revitalization. (Office: 250-721-7271 or eczh@uvic.ca)

Peter Jacobs (Linguistics) is a linguist who, prior to joining UVic in 2012, worked in his own Skwxwu7mesh (Squamish) First Nation community. There he acted as editor-in-chief and collaborated with community members to publish a learner-friendly bilingual Squamish-English dictionary. At UVic, he sits on the committee that oversees UVic’s Master’s in Indigenous Language Revitalization, a unique program in Canada, and he also teaches in this graduate program. He has consulted with various First Nations advocacy bodies here in BC and across Canada. Along with Onowa McIvor, he is also researching models for Indigenous adults learning their own languages, with particular focus on master-apprentice programs; instead of traditional classroom learning, these programs allow a younger adult to be paired with an elder and to be taught the language through immersion. He also taught the Squamish language in the high school for seven years. (Office: 250-721-7428 or pejacobs@uvic.ca)

Onowa McIvor (Indigenous Education) is an expert in Indigenous language revitalization, Indigenous education (K-12 and post-secondary), and the history of Indigenous education in Canada. She is also the director of Indigenous Education at UVic. She can discuss the intersections between Indigenous education and language revitalization. She can also discuss the importance of Indigenous languages in our country’s past and future, as well as her perspective on Edward John’s UN call for urgent efforts to save Indigenous languages. (Office: 250-721-7763 or omcivor@uvic.ca)

Leslie Saxon (Linguistics) is a linguist with a focus on Indigenous language revitalization, grammar and community-university engagement who, for 30 years, has worked to promote and document Indigenous knowledges in BC and especially with Dene people in the Northwest Territories. Her research interests in making Indigenous languages more accessible led to her role in the development of the Tłįchǫ language app Yati, available on iTunes. She is currently the academic advisor in UVic’s Certificate in Aboriginal Language Revitalization (CALR) program. (Office: 250-721-7433 or saxon@uvic.ca)


Indigenous language revitalization programs at UVic
The University of Victoria offers a wide array of courses focusing on Indigenous education, Indigenous ways of knowing and Indigenous language revitalization. Since 2005, the CALR program has been offered in Penticton, at UVic and at locations across Canada through an innovative partnership between the Department of Linguistics and Division of Continuing Studies at UVic and the En'owkin Centre, the Okanagan Nation’s arts, cultural and educational institution. The Indigenous Education and Indigenous Language Revitalization programs at UVic are offered through the Faculty of Education. At the graduate level, Indigenous Education, in partnership with the linguistics department offers a Graduate Certificate and Master’s degree program in Indigenous language revitalization. Graduates of all of these programs are making a difference for their people, producing and directing language revitalization initiatives in their communities across BC and as far away as Ontario, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. UVic has benefited greatly from the past work of UVic Professor Emerita Lorna Williams, a former Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Knowledge and Learning and past chair of First Peoples Cultural Council of BC.

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